Love Bound
by Jayden Scott
Summary: There was a fair amount of clamor for a collared!Liara/FemShep fic. Adult themes and concepts reside within. A healthy serving of sweet and sexy, while Liara contemplates life after the Reapers.


**Written by request and prompt for the kmeme. Collared!Liara/FemShep with a healthy dose of sweet and smut. Bonus for a cherry on top. So I wrote it. And here it is.**

**Quick warning: Smut follows. And plot. A plot that kind of ran away with me when I wasn't looking. I have no idea where it was headed, but I'm sure if I kept writing I would find out. This is written purely for amusement and so I was just toying with a few different ideas. Bear with me.**

**Also, this is slightly AU with a fair amount of hand-waving as to how the Reapers were destroyed and Shepard survived. It's best not to think about it too hard. **

* * *

It was odd not to feel the hum of the Normandy's systems envelop her, nor feel the barely perceptible rumble of the engines in the deck beneath her feet. There were no systems singing to fill the quiet, no deck or engine reverberating beneath her feet. Aboard the frigate, the gravity had been near-normal with occasional fluctuations. Still, Liara felt herself compensating for variances that were no longer there.

It had been over a year since the destruction of the Reapers, and seven Earth months she had spent on the surface of a single planet. Over seven months to adjust to such a vast, unending assortment of differences that Liara had not expected.

It had taken several months for Commander Shepard to recover from the injuries suffered during her last confrontation with the Reapers. When she was finally released from the medical facilities aboard an Alliance Fleet vessel (there were no medical facilities left on Earth with the capabilities of managing her care,) a remote location was established for her continued physical and mental recovery.

Earth was much different from Thessia, or any other place Liara had lived. The cabin where she and Shepard had taken residence was very comfortably furnished, but deceptively rustic in appearance. The walls were rough, unfinished wood in many of the rooms, and the ceilings were open, exposing the rafters which were the trunks of trees stripped of bark and polished. The floors were a little better, yet still wooden though sanded and sealed with a glossy finish. There was even a "fireplace" as Shepard called it: a stark, grey stone hearth in the main room in which a fire could be built. Why the cabin was equipped with such a primitive heating capability when it was also equipped with standard environmental controls was beyond the asari's comprehension.

It was a contradiction that was echoed in the rest of the house. There were rough wooden walls, yet the house was fully equipped with communication arrays, enabling holographic communication and connection to the extranet, which was useful for rebuilding Liara's system of information contacts that had been devastated by the Reapers. The doors swung open on hinges, instead of sliding into the wall automatically, but there was an advanced security detection system designed to alert them to and potentially eliminate any unwelcome visitors. The kitchen and bathrooms were modernly equipped, but decorated with hideous curtains over the windows that Shepard told her were "plaid."

The cabin's surroundings were much more amenable to Liara's tastes. Nestled in the high, remote forests of the Rocky Mountains, an appellation that Liara found incredibly redundant, they were isolated from the rest of the galaxy. There were no well-wishers, no masses crying out for the attention of the Galaxy's savior, no intrusions of any sort. A doctor appeared at regularly scheduled intervals to check on the commander's progress, and Lt. Cmdr. Williams would bring supplies every other week, but otherwise they were alone.

The forest itself was beautiful, and the cabin was relatively small in comparison to the mountain which seemed to swallow them on all sides. Trees stretched far overhead but were adequately spaced that navigating through them was not challenging. Long, slender needles from the trees identified as pine crunched underfoot and lent to the natural smell of the area, of wood and dry earth. Small mammals skittered through the brush, up trees, poking their small heads out to beg scraps of food whenever Liara passed. Rocky crags and smooth boulders occasionally jutted from the ground, like the bones of a giant, as if an afterthought to interrupt the forest.

In the early days, when Shepard's mobility was still hampered by her injuries, Liara would help her shuffle out onto the porch. The forest dropped steeply behind the cabin, affording a beautiful view of the valley below. It was her lover's favorite place, where she could gaze down at the snaking stream of snow melt that drained into the valley. For hours they would sit, huddled next to one another, shared blanket across their laps, sometimes talking, sometimes in silence. Liara once asked Shepard what she thought of in those moments.

Shepard reached for her hand and squeezed it, glimpsed wistfully over the valley and the thousand shades of verdant green of trees and bushes and grass. "What we have done for our children."

It was another change, one that Liara still reveled in the newness of even after Shepard was mostly healed and winter settled all around them in a blanket of oppressive white. Just thinking about it made her dizzy with happiness she never imagined possible.

In all the years she had been with the human, in all the years she had been her friend and lover, privacy was never something of which they had abundance. Shepard was her commander; Liara was part of her crew. They both had their duties, many of which prevented them from being openly affectionate or even together as much as they would both like. Stolen moments between missions, a professional conversation that bled into personal and then back again, late nights in the commander's cabin. Shepard had died, and then returned, but still both had their duties.

When Earth was attacked, and Liara once again joined her on the Normandy, their relationship was reaffirmed and stronger than ever. Liara spent most nights in the commander's cabin when she wasn't monitoring her information networks, and their relationship was far from being secret, though they were strictly professional except when alone. But, again, it was different. Circumstance had been a devastating, dizzying rush towards the precipice of either survival or extinction. Battles, losses, duty…

This was the first time in their relationship where the two women were free to be together without pressure or interference. There was no galactic threat, no looming dread on the horizon, no crew mates or Alliance protocol.

As Shepard healed, both physically and emotionally, they settled into what the human teasingly called "domestic bliss."

Liara called it an early start to her matron stage.

Every act, no matter how small or routine became new and fascinating, because it was done in _their_ home. In the beginning, Liara had done the majority of the household chores, the cleaning and cooking, ensuring that her stubborn lover took the medications the doctor prescribed. But gradually, Shepard had begun to take over parts of the routine. She cooked, which Liara could not help but find exceptionally endearing, and washed dishes. She made the bed in the morning mostly because she claimed it caused her physical pain to see a bed not made up to military specs, even if the comforter and sheets were pale blue floral print.

While Liara began work on her book on Prothean culture, Shepard thumbed through the numerous reports detailing the reconstruction of Earth and the galaxy or playing chess via extranet with Specialist Traynor or finding small projects around the house to work on. At night, they'd curl up on the sofa in front of the fireplace, which Liara had finally admitted was romantic even if it was obsolete, and talk about anything and everything.

In those moments, Liara would nuzzle under Shepard's arm and rest her head on her chest, listening to the strong, steady murmur of the human's heart, and still wonder that it was all real. Shepard would stroke her crest and smile, that small, affectionate smile reserved only for Liara. Sometimes, they would fall asleep like that on the sofa and not wake until morning. Sometimes, Shepard's fingers would drift down and link under the band of leather buckled around the asari's neck, tugging her upwards into a heated kiss.

Liara smiled a bit as her fingers lighted upon the collar fastened around her neck and twisted it absently. The habit was a fairly new one developed by the slight weight of the one-inch black leather band and silver buckle she now wore constantly. It hadn't been practical to wear it before, not without prompting questions from the rest of their companions, the crew. She'd worn it only occasionally then, behind locked doors.

Now the need for privacy was nonexistent, and no one mentioned it whenever they saw her on vidcom, except Javik. They had been discussing Prothean music for close to an hour when he had tilted his head to the side, considering her for a moment. "That is a human mark of ownership, is it not?"

Liara had swallowed hard and quickly dropped her hand from her collar, where she had been twisting it as she hastily scribbled notes on a datapad. She had met his many eyes, almost defiantly. "Yes." Her mouth felt dry as she tried to puzzle out the expression on his face. She had not nearly as much time to study Prothean facial expressions as other species.

"I was unaware that humans claimed ownership to other sentient races." He said simply. "What do they call it? A pet?" He used the human word.

"No! No not like…" Liara secretly hoped Shepard would interrupt them, though she never bothered Liara when she was working. The concept for what she and Shepard were was hard to explain, in any language, and she had never been forced to explain it to anyone before. Although "slavery" was understood galactically, it was a grossly inaccurate approximation for what she and Shepard were as a couple. Their roles had evolved naturally from their relationship, from shared images during their melds, from their mutual desires.

It was not uncommon for one partner to be naturally more submissive or dominant in any relationship, but the choice to embrace the unequal balance of power was less common, and in human terms, "kinky." But it simply felt right, for her to give herself fully over to the woman she loved, to commit herself to her without reservation, to trust her love and guidance and care in equal measure. How was she supposed to explain these things to anyone, let alone someone whose majority of life experience lay fifty thousand years in the past?

Javik stoically waited for her to continue. She touched the collar again as if to renew her confidence despite the flutter of uncertainty in her gut. "I have chosen to give myself to Commander Shepard."

"And she has claimed you for herself?" His head had bobbed in what Liara had learned was the Prothean equivalent of a nod, seemingly pleased with this answer. "It is… fitting. You were asking about Prothean orchestral organization?"

Shepard must have noticed her toying with the collar because suddenly she was behind her, hands on her shoulders. Leaning down, she kissed the top of Liara's head. "Somehow, I don't believe you're thinking about," She paused as she squinted at the terminal screen in front of her lover. "Prothean phonetic distinctions and the evolution of voiceless phonemes in the select—what the hell does that even mean?"

"It's just discussing some of the aspects of dialects in Prothean language." Liara smiled; Shepard wasn't a scientist but she was much smarter than she allowed people to know.

"Mmm." Shepard replied.

Liara could not help but smile more broadly, unable to resist the opportunity to tease her lover. "Precisely! That's a voiceless phoneme."

"Smartass." Shepard grinned into the kiss she planted loudly on Liara's cheek. "I think that may be enough for today."

"Yes, Commander. Let me just finish these notations, and I'll be done."

"Good." Shepard squeezed her shoulders affectionately, planted another kiss on the top of her crest. "Dinner is ready."

Liara focused on the screen for a moment, before glimpsing over shoulder to watch her lover limp into the kitchen, leaning heavily on her cane. She would need it for some time more now, perhaps forever if the cybernetic implants did not take again. She sighed with her inner struggle to desire to assist her lover in the kitchen, and turned back to her terminal. Finishing her notations, she powered down her station and joined her lover.

* * *

"I am glad what was served on the Normandy was not considered "good" human food." Liara commented as she set her fork down on her empty plate. Surprisingly, Shepard was more than proficient in the kitchen. It somehow seemed incongruous that the hardened soldier be as at home with a rifle against her shoulder, barking orders at her troops as she was with a whisk and stove. "What was that again?"

"Steak and eggs. Meal of champions." Shepard grinned and stretched languidly, like one of the giant cats that Liara had seen in a nature vid. "Did you like it?" She extended her good leg and poked Liara in the calf with her bare foot.

"I did, my love." Liara smiled and reached for Shepard's plate to bring to the sink, but was stopped by a hand gently covering her own. "Although I still prefer not to know the animal of origin of both those things." She added, wrinkling her nose, thinking again of the giant cat.

Shepard laughed and shrugged. "Asari are so picky about their food. Leave it for the morning." Her thumb began to stroke the back of Liara's hand, tan skin striking against cerulean. "I'm tired." She grinned broadly.

"Oh?" Liara smiled coyly and cocked her head to the side, her heart humming just a little quicker in her chest. "Well, then we should go to bed."

"Mmm. Good idea. This is why you're the smart one." Shepard pushed herself up from the table, relinquishing her hold on Liara's hand and reaching for her cane. "I'm just the muscle."

Liara abandoned the dishes on the table and followed her lover towards the bedroom, nudged her gently, playfully with her shoulder. "You say these things, and you know they are untrue."

"Who are you to contradict me?" Shepard leaned her stick against the doorframe, turned to face her lover.

Liara looped her arms around Shepard's neck, feeling the gentle pressure of hands on her hips as the other woman steadied herself. "I wasn't contradicting you, Commander," she purred before lips met hers.

That was not new. "Commander" rolled naturally off of her pale blue lips long before she and Shepard were ever lovers, long before there was ever a collar fastened around her neck. It wasn't traditional, she knew from her research on the extranet that many other titles were preferred, but "ma'am" was close as the couple ever came to them, and even that was natural given their positions aboard the Normandy. It also made sense; no one would think twice if Liara accidently called Shepard "commander" or let a "yes, ma'am" slip in public.

Lips grazed hers, tongue dancing out to gently tease her lower lip. Shepard cupped her cheek with her hand gently, then withdrew, her fingers lingering on her cheek. "I'll be back in a minute, my girl."

Once her lover had disappeared out of the bedroom, Liara wasted no time shedding all of her clothing and tossing it aside. When she was completely naked save her collar, she glimpsed around the bedroom, a variety of possibilities running through her head in an ordered list. She briefly entertained the notion of bending over the bed, her upper body resting flat on the soft blankets, the light scrape of the fabric against her sensitive nipples. While the throb of pleasure she received at the idea was compelling, instead, she dropped to her knees next to the bed.

There were rugs in the bedrooms, so the position wasn't uncomfortable as she sank down to set on her heels. She let her thighs spread naturally, not lewdly, and rested her hands on her knees. Inhaling deeply to settle the nervous pitch in her chest, Liara waited.

When Shepard returned, she halted in the doorway, struck momentarily dumb by the sight before her. She had seen her lover naked many, many dozen times over in every possible state and position. But she never ceased to be awestruck by the flawless beauty of bare blue skin, of equally blue, adoring eyes. Her breath hitched as she watched Liara for a moment, patiently kneeling for her. _For her._ The thought caused a pleasurable itch in between the human's legs.

If this was her reward for saving the galaxy, Shepard would most happily take it.

It was possible to detect the waves of adoration emanating from the commander even without the meld active. It was clearly spoken in her eyes, in the manner she regarded her with a small smile. Finally, Shepard abandoned the doorway, her eyes darkening in a way that Liara could only describe as predatory. Moving to stand in front of her, Shepard shucked her own clothing with no regard to time. Liara could only watch as olive skin was gradually revealed, and she licked her lips absently.

The bed caved slightly under Shepard's weight as she sat, leaning forward to hook two fingers in Liara's collar to pull her nearer, to turn her so they faced each other. Wordlessly, lips sought hers again, and Liara resisted slightly, and the response was immediate.

Physically, Shepard was stronger and the tug turned into a yank, which brought their lips crashing back together and the kiss became rough, possessive. Shepard's mouth claiming hers forcefully, taking her mouth in the same way she hoped Shepard would take her body. She was already wet. "Shepard…" She whimpered into the kiss.

Her reward was another yank of her collar, and this time Shepard held her in place for a moment, her clear green eyes flashing dangerously. The spike of fear gradually faded into pure excitement. "Pardon?"

"Commander," Liara corrected and averted her eyes downward.

"Put that pretty mouth of yours to use, girl." The hand that clenched her collar was suddenly on the back of her head, pushing Liara's face in between the commander's legs. Straightening on her knees, Liara allowed herself to be shoved forward, until she could taste her lover. The hand tightened on the back of her neck as Shepard initially tensed, and then relaxed with a quiet gasp.

Liara complied, feeling her lover roll her hips into her mouth, knowing she could not struggle against the hand holding her in place. She could hear the base things Shepard called her, the rude accusations, even if they were slightly muffled by the thighs on either side of her head. "My little asari slut…" It was strangely exciting to hear her lover speak to her like this. She knew from their melds that Shepard did not really think those things, knew from experience she would knock anyone unconscious who said something so degrading to Liara. But at the height of passion, when Shepard spoke to her like that… it caused her to squirm and increase the pace of her ministrations, the dedication of her tongue and lips.

As Shepard panted and began to cry out, Liara found it harder and harder to keep her own arousal in check. She could feel the dampness between her legs, cool to the air. Pleasure turned to ache. The waves of desire began pulsing in her mind, biotic tendrils begging to reach out to Shepard's mind, to join with her. But she knew better. She almost faltered, almost reached out with her mind as her lover began riding her mouth in earnest, close to climax. Instead, she gripped the back of her lover's knees with her hands to steady herself.

Shepard tensed, her entire body going as rigid as stone as she came, her hand pushing Liara's face into her hard as she rode the wave of climax. Even as the hand relaxed against the back of her head, thumb gently stroking the folds of skin there, Liara continued to lick and suck until the last shudders of orgasm subsided, until Shepard tugged gently on her collar again. Breathless, Liara sat back on her heels again, still heady with desire now shaded with a hint of triumph.

For a brief moment, she entertained the thought of reaching down and touching herself, relieving a bit of the building ache between her legs. However, the consequences for such a thing would most likely leave her unable to sit comfortably for several days, and she did not relish the idea of standing at her terminal to type. At least, not this night.

Instead, she waited, and she did not have to wait for long. She had grown adept to deciphering the meanings of each tug of her collar. Some meant Shepard wanted her closer, some were to pull Liara into position, others were merely because it pleased the commander, and still more, usually quick jerks, were to remind the asari who was in charge. This particular one was indication for Liara to stand, and she did, grateful to stretch out the stiffness in her legs.

There was a glint in her lover's eyes, a quirk to her smile that Liara was unsettled to realize she could not quite interpret. Strong hands on her hips pulled her closer until she stood in between Shepard's legs.

"Put your hands behind your back."

Liara obeyed, interlacing her fingers and clasping her hands behind her back, letting them fall naturally behind her. The action caused her shoulders to square and her chest to thrust out. While one hand cupped her breast, fingers beginning to tease her blue nipple, the other sought out the moisture between her legs. Rough, calloused fingers began stroking, just scarcely slipping inside her for the briefest of moments, causing Liara to whimper at the denial.

"Tell me what you want, Liara." It wasn't a question.

The sensations, the hiss of pain as her nipple was rolled between thumb and forefinger, the deliciously harsh exploration of fingers in her slick heat, made it difficult to concentrate, difficult to reply instead of push down to create a bit of contact where she needed it most. Liara bit her lower lip. "I want you, Commander."

"You have me." Shepard replied, and Liara heard the smile in her voice without opening her eyes.

"I need you…" Liara gasped as a thumb grazed over her clit, causing her hips to respond of their own volition. "I need you take me."

Shepard did not reply. The commander loved to tease her, to push her past the limits of tolerance, the limits of frustration. Liara was convinced she was already at those limits. It took every bit of restraint in her body not to join with her, not to push herself down onto those fingers, not to grab Shepard and pull her into a searing kiss. Licking her lips again, she forced herself to think. "I am yours, Commander. I'll do whatever you want…"

"Whose collar do you wear?"

"Yours, Commander." Liara spoke quickly, as though she might lose the ability to speak at any moment. "I belong to you. Please… please… touch me, use me… any way you want. Just… I'm yours."

"You are mine." Shepard affirmed, her lips beginning a hungry trail of kisses from Liara's navel to her breasts, punctuated by occasional nips with her teeth. "Mine to fuck. Mine to love. Mine to do whatever I want with."

"Yours…" Liara exhaled as lips latched around her nipple, sucking, teasing. She cast her head back, her eyes snapping open as teeth grazed the sensitive bud. Her knees threatened to buckle from under her. "Goddess, Lissa… just… take me!" She panted in frustration and blushed. She hardly ever used the human's first name, and it tasted odd on her lips.

Growling low in her throat, Shepard stood and moved her hands to Liara's hips, half guiding, half shoving her backwards onto the bed. Trusting her lover implicitly, Liara allowed herself to fall backwards and landed on the soft nest of blankets. At once, Shepard was on top of her, straddling her hips, pinning Liara's wrists above her head with one hand.

Liara struggled and writhed underneath her, knowing she couldn't escape from Shepard's grasp only turned her on more, knowing that she was powerless against Shepard's raw strength. But she tried anyway, knowing how wet it made her lover when she struggled. Teeth marked the flesh where her neck became shoulder, a warning, and the asari cried out in a mixture of pain and pleasure before stilling.

Caresses became more insistent, more possessive, and hard bites marked her several more times until it was almost too much. Liara squeezed her eyes shut, the need to cum, to meld was overwhelming and the blend of pleasure and pain left her frazzled, like a wire that had shorted out. Shepard lay flat on top of her, her free hand dipping between them, in between Liara's legs. She entered her, barely, a single finger inserted only to the first knuckle. Its presence was maddening, so close but not nearly enough.

"Fuck me, Shepard, please." Liara begged, blushing at the shameless desire of her words, the crudeness of them. "Please fuck me."

"No." Shepard grinned down at her lover, watching her writhe and squirm, anything to increase the pressure between her legs. She loved the power she had over the asari, the power she was given to control her, to keep her hovering so close to the edge and knowing she could deny her. It was intoxicating, and she wasn't yet ready to give in. Not yet.

Liara felt as if the world was crumbling away from her, and her breath came in ragged sobs of frustration. "Please…" She searched her mind, thinking of something, anything that would satisfy her lover, anything that would convince her to give in. Finally, there was a whisper at the back of her mind, a not-quite memory. "I'm _your_ dirty, little slut, Commander. Please… please fuck your whore like she deserves." A part of Liara was deeply embarrassed, maybe even ashamed, but the other part of her didn't care as long as she was granted release.

The shift of surprise was barely perceptible, only a shimmer of shock that briefly passed over her lover's face replaced by a pleased moan of heated astonishment. Without warning, Liara felt three fingers enter her roughly, and without giving her even a breath to adjust to the sudden change, they slammed into her again. The opposite hand tightened around her wrists, painfully so.

It was the permission Liara needed to let her mind reach out, to accept Shepard's into hers. The force of shared arousal and need was stifling, causing both women to lose their breath for a moment. Every relentless thrust caused Liara to whimper and cry out, her need doubled by the fact each cry caused Shepard's own arousal to increase. A savage possessiveness consumed the human, and Liara surrendered to it, affirming it with her own submission.

"My pureblood slut." The words were spoken rather than whispered across the meld, and Liara's body responded of its own volition, driving herself down on her lover's hand, hard, pressing her clit against the palm and grinding.

_Please…_ Liara begged, but then realized that it had been spoken only in their shared mind. "Please, may I cum?" She phrased it as a plea and was not disappointed by the swell of lust she received from Shepard.

Grunting, Shepard nodded, darkened red tendrils of hair clinging to her brow with sweat. "Cum for me, sweet girl." She assented and thrust into Liara mercilessly.

The asari came hard, barely hearing her own scream of ecstasy as her own orgasm was enhanced through the meld by her lover's own. Her body quaked with release, and she ground herself against Shepard's hand and as the first wave gradually subsided, she felt herself being swept away by another. Tears leaked unbidden from her eyes, while her body was consumed with fire, with irresistible heat as her need flared and burned.

Eventually, as it faded, she shivered with cold, with overuse. Some vague part of her registered as Shepard pulled out of her, rolled off of her to lie next to her, but all she could feel was the constant tremor of her body as she recovered from the multiple orgasms. Even the feelings, the emotions she received across the bond were muddied, hazy, and Liara inhaled sharply, panicked by her inability to focus. Until a strong arm wrapped around her midsection and pulled her close.

Shepard held her until the shaking ceased, until Liara regained her composure and relaxed into her arms. She pressed her face into the commander's chest, inhaling her familiar scent. She always smelled of hardened female fresh and faintly of the soap she used, like some species of flower. The two lay entangled in one another's arms, trading emotions and wordless thoughts.

"Goddess, Liara…" Shepard rolled onto her back, and Liara rolled with her, resting her head on her chest and placing a hand on her chest over her heart. She threw one leg over her lover's, smiled at the contrast of blue and olive. Her smile broadened as she felt Shepard's amusement at Liara's observation of their skin tones.

"Yes, Commander?" She asked playfully, turning her head so she could kiss the bare chest beneath her cheek.

"You know exactly which buttons to push."

Liara understood the meaning of the expression through the meld, rather than understanding the phrase itself and grinned. She pushed herself up on her elbow to gaze down at Shepard, blushing at the sudden burst of affection she felt as their eyes locked. "I am glad I am so adept at pleasing you, Commander."

Fingers not her own toyed with Liara's collar thoughtfully. Love and possessiveness flared in equal degree, touched with pride and something else that caught the asari off guard. Gratitude, humility in stark contrast to the staunch territoriality… that Shepard was amazed by what Liara had chosen to give her, awestruck that she was gifted with such a beautiful, intelligent, perfect woman that she could never hope to deserve, that there was no force in this galaxy that could keep her from this woman, prevent her from protecting her.

Ducking her head shyly, Liara blushed at Shepard's thoughts. "You will give me delusions of grandeur if you are not careful, Shepard."

To which the human merely grinned and gently tugged on the collar. "Shut up and kiss me, Liara."

Covering the hand Shepard still held on her collar with her own, Liara happily obeyed, kissing her lover's grin with her own smile. Some things would never change.

* * *

**Boom. There you have it. Please feed by my feedback monster. It needs noms.**


End file.
